just got my Cuadra 2 days ago, the $995 version in black. Man is it a beauty. It matches the vario perfectly. Black and silver all around. I have the no burn 2 hole steam wand coming in the mail tomorrow, so we'll see if steaming is any better, but the 4 hole tip is a little hard to get the hang of...I get the right amount of foam, its just not micro foam, rather small bubble foam. Pstat was set at 1-1.1 bars and I just dropped it to .9. The steam doesn't seem to be affected by this so far.

Just to add (i tried searching for it and couldn't find anything)...I used "goo gone" to remove the sticky residue left behind by the stickers.

I noticed there is a small hole in the bottom of the drip tray (the metal portion, not the plastic insert). Is this for a drain? and has anything added one or thought of adding one? It would be nice with the long cooling flushes.

and figured I would give Scottie Callahan's methods for dosing, distribution and tamp a try. I think he knows a thing or two about making coffee. :) I ended up so over-dosed I could not get the PF locked in and coffee was all over the screen. I guess our clearance between the basket and the screen is much less than what the Rocket Giotto must have?

and figured I would give Scottie Callahan's methods for dosing, distribution and tamp a try. I think he knows a thing or two about making coffee. :) I ended up so over-dosed I could not get the PF locked in and coffee was all over the screen. I guess our clearance between the basket and the screen is much less than what the Rocket Giotto must have?

I doubt that there are any major differences, since both are E61 machines. The grouphead design should be the same, shouldn't it? Our filter basket might be a little deeper, which would give a little more room for compression during tamping.

My routine is similar to the one in the video, although I knock the portafilter sideways a few times to settle the coffee, and I use my index finger to flatten out the coffe before tamping. This gives me an 18 gram dose, and I have no problems with the puck hitting the screen. It might be that I tamp a little harder than the guy in the video, though.

18g is my standard dose and I have no problems but I weigh each dose before grinding. Using the guy in the video's (multi time world barista champion) technique, I was obviously well over 18g. From prior experimenting, I would say well over 20. I dont have enough extra coffee to experiment right now, but next time I will try weighing the dose after loading the portafilter in this manner.

18g is my standard dose and I have no problems but I weigh each dose before grinding. Using the guy in the video's (multi time world barista champion) technique, I was obviously well over 18g. From prior experimenting, I would say well over 20. I dont have enough extra coffee to experiment right now, but next time I will try weighing the dose after loading the portafilter in this manner.

I've been observing my dosage during the last few days, and you're right, my 18 g dose actually looks a bit smaller than his all-the-way-to-the-edge dose. Since I just even out the coffee with my index finger before tamping I didn't realize that I had some space left, but I do.

Quick Question: of the two hoses that feed into the water reservoir, what is the small one for. I know the larger diameter hose (i believe it is a 9x6mm hose) is the water intake, but the smaller diameter hose (i believe it is 5x3mm) I am not sure what it is for. I am assuming it displaces water from the opv. Thanks

I am planning on taking my reservoir outside of the machine and need to order new silicon tubes. I got a 2.5 gallon glass jar from target, which I will drill a hole in the top of and am looking at longer silicon tubes from McMaster-Carr. So I'm wanting to see if I need to get two new longer tubes, or just the intake hose and leave the smaller hose in the internal reservoir.

*Update, I now have a 2.5 gallon reservoir for my Cuadra. Rather than get NSF 51 silicone tubing, I went to the local hardware store, got a 1/4" to 1/4" barb connector, an inner diameter 1/4" clear vinyl tubing, and connected the water intake hose and this together. Fits like a glove and the intake tube will fit nicely in the opening for your thumb to lift the cup warmer tray up. I currently left the smaller hose (for the OPV) as is, meaning it dispenses water into the internal reservoir. Probably will change this at some point. Total cost was $23 w/ tax: Glass Jar ($20), 2 feet of tubing ($1), connector ($1.50).

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